Reviews

Driving Impression

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The Juke gets two out of three right, handling and engine. If only it had the transmission, it could totally claim to be the sports car of subcompact crossovers. With adaptive steering, the all-wheel-drive Juke darts around corners and fires out of them like a dagger.

The engine makes a lot of torque for its size, 210 pound feet, and it can accelerate from zero to sixty in a quick seven seconds, yet the acceleration feels oddly ponderous in traffic. And it’s noisy when its being asked to keep up.

The available all-wheel-drive isn’t an offroad system, it’s made to sharpen the Juke’s handling. So don’t go thinking it’s the answer in snow, as you might with other crossovers. An independent rear suspension comes with all-wheel drive, instead of the torsion-beam rear suspension that’s in front-wheel-drive models. It’s an engineering thing that prevents the six-speed manual gearbox from going in the all-wheel drive. The problem with the CVT is it can’t keep up, even in manual mode, and especially not with the 211 horsepower of the all-wheel-drive Nismo RS.

There are engine management modes. Eco mode is sluggish, which brings un-smoothness. Normal is better for drivability. Sport reduces turbo lag and tightens the steering.

Walk Around

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The Juke manages to pull off stubby with futuristic. It attracts a cult following while being polarizing.

It’s all bulges and swells. Tall fenders grow out of low bulging headlamps with knifelike turn signals, pinching a mean grille. The roof slopes to the rear passengers’ heads, over wide hips that appear sleeker thanks to the hidden rear door handles.

Nissan offers what they call their Juke Color Studio program, which allows buyers to design their own trim selections, with bright colors for the wheels, spoiler, door handles, headlamp trim, side sills, and fascia.

Interior Overview

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The inside is consistent with the contradictions of the outside, with spirited colors and fabrics (some would say funky, others might even say cartoonish but still cool), along with hard plastics and other cost-cutting textures.

Nissan says the design of the dash was inspired by the look of motorcycle instrumentation. You can see it, if you try. It’s simple, tidy, functional and stylish.

Forward visibility from the front seats is good. Over-the-shoulder visibility is good despite small windows and thick pillars.

In the rear, there’s a cramped 32.1 inches of legroom, some seven inches less than the Honda HR-V. And the rear seat is high, lowering the headroom, and the sunroof brings it down more. The Juke might be called a five-seater, but three passengers back there isn’t likely.

With the rear seats up, the Juke’s 10.5 cubic feet of cargo space is smaller than the trunk of most sedans. We think the rear seats will stay down a lot, revealing 39.5 cubic feet. That’s still less than the competition, but at least it’s livable.

Summary

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The Juke’s mission, which is basically an all-wheel-drive pocket-rocket hatchback, more than a subcompact crossover. But that CVT transmission makes a liar out of the Nismo RS as a so-called sports car. If you go the other direction, entry level, with the six-speed in the base S, you’re down on power and fuel mileage. The all-wheel drive won’t help you much in snow. So what have you got? Quirky cool. If it works for you.

Sam Moses contributed to this report.

Model Lineup

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Nissan Juke comes in S, SV, SL, Nismo, and Nismo RS versions. (Prices are MSRP and do not include destination charge.)